An integrated circuit may include analog circuits that provide a variety of functions. For example, such analog circuits may be used for transferring signals between the integrated circuit and an external circuit. Designing high speed analog circuits using the latest semiconductor fabrication technology (e.g., a 20 nanometer process node) is challenging and expensive. Furthermore, high speed analog circuits may have a low tolerance to various sources of variation such as process variation, temperature variation, and power supply variation.
Oftentimes, an analog circuit may be calibrated using calibration circuitry to reduce or eliminate any adverse effect on the circuit performance that may arise due to the various sources of variations.
However, the calibration circuitry may need to be redesigned when the integrated circuit shifts from one semiconductor process node to another. Furthermore, the functionality of the calibration circuitry cannot be altered once the integrated circuit has been manufactured. These problems may impose significant limitations on the design and manufacturing of calibration circuitry on an integrated circuit device.
It is within this context that the embodiments described herein arise.